Binding Contracts & Pending Love
by xx.Devil's.Chic.xx
Summary: Nathaniel was a demon like any other, seeking out masters, binding them with a contract, serving them, and eventually collecting their souls. He'd seen it all, served every type of person, yet still, nothing prepared him for the young aristocrat known as Serena Rosadale; sole heiress to the largest railroad company in the world.
1. Prologue: Escalation

**It wasn't supposed to be this way…**

"Master." He sighed as he ran a thumb over his young mistress' cheek as she lay sprawled out on her desk, she had yet again fallen asleep working. He delicately pulled out her chair and hoisted her up into his arms, careful not to wake her, as he walked her over to her bed, pulling back the quilt and laying her down as if she was made of glass.

**He wasn't supposed to have these feelings…**

He delicately pulled up the quilt, tucking it around her before allowing his hand to caress her face, "I love you." he whispered silently, and unknowingly aloud, as he knelt down and leaned over her, placing a light kiss on her lips.

**He was supposed to make a contract…**

_"Serve me! I'll give you my soul in exchange, just serve me until I right the wrong that has been done to me!" _Those were the words she had called out with on that day so many years ago. He shook his head as he stood and walked away, stopping at the door to blow out the lights before walking out and easing the door shut silently behind him.

**He was just supposed to serve her…**

_"I would like to introduce my new butler, Nathaniel."___The night he was first introduced as her butler was a night quite similar to this night, very rainy, very grim, and so unnaturally quiet that it created a rather stuffy atmosphere - perhaps that is why he's suddenly remembering it.

**He was only supposed to stand by her, and protect her…**

_"Release my lady this instant or I will be inclined to kill you by the bindings of our contract." _He certainly did not count on such petty feelings coming into the mix.

**He didn't even notice when his emotions began to sway…**

_"Oh, Nathaniel, this is my fiancé, Gerard." _He had been so unbelievably jealous that day, for the longest time he convinced himself that it was for the soul reason that perhaps this man would come to give her purpose beyond her ultimate goal, causing her to no longer wish to surrender her soul to him after the alluded time was up.

**Only when she decided to disband them did he finally realize…**

It was only in the spring of his sixth year serving her did the puzzle pieces finally come together, _"I think it's time we end our contract, don't you, Nathaniel. It's quite obvious at this point that I will never find the people who have done this to me." _

At that time, as if finally coming to some ultimate realization, he fought against it with his entire being. Though he made sure not to show how desperate he was, for his lady could never know of these feelings, _"My Lady, I'm afraid I cannot allow this, once a contract is formed it cannot be broken until it's terms are carried out completely. Besides, with you being such a motivated woman, I find it hard to believe that you would just give up so easily; where did my spunky young mistress go?"_

She had looked up from her tea and studied him for a moment before nodding and setting it down with a small clank, _"Very well, Nathaniel, but I assure you I am every bit as spunky as I was back then, only now I know how to conceal it properly; to display such a childish side is unbefitting of a lady, don't you agree?"_

**The true depth of this ridiculous human emotion called love that he somehow came to possess…**


	2. Chapter 1: Quiet Mornings

"Mistress, it's well past eight-thirty, you must wake up now." Nathaniel announced at he knocked on his mistress' door, only to be greeted by a stern, "I _am_ up." he sighed, Serena was always so rigid and stern in the mornings.

"Are you decent?" he asked through the door as he placed his hand on the handle, he heard her scoff, "Of course." that was all the invitation he needed before pushing open the door and carrying in a tray of tea decorated with a small fruit dish.

Serena was indeed already up, sitting at her desk, back perfectly straight as she scrawled neatly on some documents. Nathaniel let out another sigh as he set down the tray on a nearby coffee table and made his way to the windows, "Really my lady, you must start opening up your curtains, it's not healthy to sit in the dark all day - nor is it good for your eyes." he said as he pulled open the curtains, instantly flooding the dark room with light.

She let out a small huff, still not looking up from her paperwork, "I've got a candle lit, I can see perfectly fine."

"Stubborn as ever my lady." he commented as he rounded back to her desk and began pouring out her tea, "May I assume you will be taking breakfast in your study as usual?" he questioned as he set the teacup down beside her. "You may." she grunted, finally settling down her pen as she reached for the teacup and took a small sip.

"Gerard and his family are coming today for lunch and afternoon tea." She commented as she set her tea down. Nathaniel flinched, almost unnoticeably, before replying stiffly, "I hadn't realized you had made plans."

"I hadn't either, you know how his father is, I only received word of this arrangement last night." she sighed, not noticing his tenseness as she rested her chin in her palm and twirled her pen around in her fingers. "Paperwork is so tedious~" she sighed, "One wouldn't imagine a railroad company requiring such copious amounts of paperwork."

"We in the Rosadale family must oversee stock and trade, should anything from our shipments be stolen or reported missing it weighs on our shoulders my lady." he said just as there was a knock at the door.

He turned stiffly and walked over, pulling open the door to find Serena's lady in waiting, Clara, standing there.

She bowed, "I've come to fetch Lady Serena for her morning bath." Nathaniel sighed, "Very well." he droned, stepping to the side as Serena stood and walked past him and out the door to follow Clara, teacup in hand.

Nathaniel then began his usual morning duties, organizing his mistress' paperwork, making her bed, writing out the day's itinerary - which now had to be altered due to the unexpected guest - and deciding what in particular his mistress would most like for breakfast; all of which must be completed before his lady is finished with her morning bath.

At approximately nine forty-five he carried his mistress' breakfast down to her private study, which was proven to be her favorite place. His mistress was rather introverted, while it proved to be irritating on many occasions he found it to be one of her special traits; she didn't enjoy the company of others, and usually, once done with her paperwork, would sneak down to her study which contained a rather large library of books imported from all across the world. There were only four kinds of people she allowed to enter her study, herself, her fiancé and his family, her lady in waiting, and her butler, no exceptions.

He knocked on the door, after a few moments he heard her reply with an uninterested, "Come in." he pushed the door open and wheeled in the dining cart, finding himself weaving in and out of dozens and dozens of enormous bookshelves until he reached the back of the room, where his lady's desk was located, as well as a large couch, matching coffee table, and a full wall window complete with a window seat - his lady's preferred pleasure reading spot.

As he grew closer she closed her book and set it down beside her before sliding off the window seat, her damp, ankle length black hair clinging to her white silk nightgown as she made her way over to the couch with bare feet. Contrary to popular belief, his master was a very casual, lazy, and unmotivated girl, in the mornings or on days void of study sessions when she wasn't expecting company, she would laze about in her nightgown, spending most of her time locked up in her study - no matter how many times Nathaniel insisted she stop.

She sat down as he began setting out various dishes, mostly small bowls or plates of very un-breakfast like food; Serena always found eggs rather boring and bland, and therefor requested rather dinner-like things in place of them. For example, today's menu included steak in mushroom sauce, au gratin potatoes, and small dishes of various sliced fruits and mixed nuts which she would keep and pick at throughout the day.

She ate in silence for a while as she thumbed over the newspaper, though about halfway through her meal she looked up at him with piercing silver eyes, "Nathaniel, could you play for me while I eat?" she asked, her eyes drifting to the violin case on the bottom shelf of the food cart.

"Yes, of course, whatever my lady wishes shall be done." he said before giving a bow and retrieving his violin from its case, soon striking up a calm yet cheerful melody which complimented the easy atmosphere of the study.

A while later she finished, setting her tea down with a clank, before heading back over to her window seat and continuing on with her book, hours passed in such a manor, until eventually she rose without a word, picking up a dish of mixed nuts as she neared the bookshelves, nodding for him to follow her as he lowered his violin and set it up against the food cart. After retracing their footsteps through the maze of bookshelves she pushed open the door and stepped out into the hallway, she finally spoke, "What is today's vendetta?" she asked as she popped a cashew into her mouth.

"You have until noon to do as you please - assuming that as usual you will hold your work off until this evening - at precisely twelve-fifteen Gerard Kensington and his parents will arrive to share lunch and afternoon tea, after they leave you have cello lessons with Madame Reginald, fencing lessons with myself, ballroom dancing with Sir Hemmingway, and are then once again free to do as you wish until supper." he informed her as he stopped to open her chamber door for her, following her inside and pulling it closed.

"What do you think is suitable for today? Outside or inside, light or heavy, sleeves or no?" she inquired as she pulled open a curtain which covered a gap in the wall which acted as her closet.

"Yesterday was rather cold, clammy, and rainy, based on that you should expect lunch to be served inside; there for a less colorful dress of lighter fabric and little to no sleeves would be most appropriate my lady." he commented as she paroosed the wardrobe, frowning lightly seeing as she barely favored nightgowns, and if it was an option would wear slacks, she didn't really favor dresses much at all; corsets made it hard to breath, the skirts were too poofy and got in the way, she could hardly walk in heels - let alone dance - and they were just plain uncomfortable all together.

She finally settled on a rather plain sleeveless dress consisting of a red top with a black vertical stripe down the center, and a black silk skirt with ruffles. She took it and walked behind a changing screen, Nathaniel's gaze dropped solemnly to the floor as he heard the shuffling of cloth followed by her nightgown being draped over the top of the screen.

A few minutes later she emerged, hair pulled into a low ponytail and pulled over her shoulder as she turned around, exposing her bare back along with some rather unsightly burn scars, Nathaniel hesitated before buttoning up the back of the dress, hiding the ugly scars, before she pulled her ponytail off her shoulder.

"What is the time Nathaniel?" she asked as they arrived in the main hall.

"It's eleven forty-five on the dot my lady." he answered without even looking at his pocket watch. Serena nodded, "Then knowing Gerard and his family, they should arrive-" before she was even able to finish her sentence the massive double doors of the estate slammed open before Serena found herself face to face with a middle aged man who looked to be on the brink of tears, she blinked, startled.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you, Serena, my dearest daughter-in-law!" he cried, throwing his arms around her, successfully pinning her arms at her sides as she stiffened, good god, it hasn't been that long has it?

* * *

**A.N./ I apologize, I had no clue how to end this chapter without dragging it on forever, but yeah, chapter 1, bam, here it is. And, because - as usual - I walked into a story without really knowing where I was going with it; feedback, constructive criticism, and ideas are welcomed with open arms.**


	3. Chapter 2: Lunchtime Guests

"Sir Kensington, I believe it may do you well to release my young mistress, believe it or not air is quite necessary for her to function." Nathanial commented as his eyebrow twitched slightly, while it was a given that he disliked Gerard - what with him being the fiancé of his mistress, whom was also his beloved one - he found he disliked Gerard's father to a similar extent, the man was quite grabby and over-emotional, that, and he would insist on calling Serena his daughter - and she was to call him father - for since her and Gerard were to be wed _eventually_, it was only natural.

Gerard's father looked surprised at Nathaniel's interjections before his eyes darted to Serena's face, which was slowly turning purple, with a look of panic he jumped back a bit, apologizing, "I'm so sorry dear, I just got so excited." he sighed. Serena gave him a look of exhaust as she clenched her hand to her chest, wheezing - though trying to do it in a graceful manor, if that was even possible.

"Father, how many times have I told you that I dislike it when you get to my fiancé before me?" A younger voice interjected from the door, Nathaniel sighed inwardly, let his lunch time torture begin. Standing at the door with his mother, was a young boy of about 21 - 2 years older than his mistress - he was handsome, hazelnut hair and smooth chocolate colored eyes with slightly tanned skin and a muscular build, the boy could send the young ladies of London into a frenzy with a simple smile.

"Excuse my husband, you know how he is when he gets excited." Mrs. Kensington commented as she rested a hand on her husband's shoulder, "It is-" Mrs. Kensington hesitated, "good, to see you again, Serena." She remarked stiffly.

Even though she had never said it in her presence, it was no secret that Mrs. Kensington didn't exactly like nor did she approve of Serena as a person or a bride suitable for her son, Gerard, sensing the tenseness as he approached, cut in, "Yes, it's been quite some time since we've been able to meet." he said, offering Serena his arm, which she took as she had done several times before as Nathaniel turned stiffly, "We've been so busy as of late, you understand how it is in the spring."

"Yes, I myself have been quite busy as well as of late, between paperwork and my studies I hardly have any free time anymore." Serena agreed, attempting to make small talk as Nathaniel lead them to the dining hall.

Nathaniel inwardly sweatdropped as he eavesdropped, Serena had plenty of time to herself, she simply had no sense of the passage of said time, so she tended to read all day, attend two or three classes, then do her paperwork well into the night, and depending on the time she would either fall asleep at her desk and get up early to complete it, or she would finish it and read until the early hours in the morning, sporting unsightly grey bags under her eyes when he would go to wake her.

When they reached the doors to the dining hall they were met with the sounds of loud yelling from inside, the voices belonging to the twin cooks of the Rosadale estate who rarely got along, the voices of Clara and some other employees could be heard trying to silence them.

Nathaniel's eyebrow twitched in irritation as Lady Kensington gave a look to nobody in particular as if to say, 'see, hardly suited for my Gerard.' Nathaniel turned to address Serena and their company, "If you would excuse me for a moment, I must attend to our kitchen staff, I will be back momentarily." he said politely before turning and opening the doors, allowing Serena to get a brief glance of the two blond siblings arguing over the placement of the dishes on the table before the door closed and two distinct thuds were heard before the door opened again, Nathaniel bowed, "This way my lady," he said, gesturing for Serena and the others to enter, as the Kensingtons passed he added, "I am deeply sorry for the childish behavior of our staff."

As Serena made her way to her seat she spotted the twins stewing angrily in the corner as they glared at Nathaniel, Christine's pursed lips sucking on her usual cigarette as she stood arms crossed, glaring at the floor as she ignored the welt forming on her head, while Gene looked off to the side, silently icing the welt on his own head. Clara stood off to the side, no emotion on her face as her 11 year old sister, Mikenzie, covered her mouth in effort to suppress a giggle as she mused at the twin's condition.

Nathaniel announced the lunch as Gerard, like the gentleman he was, seated Serena at the head of the table before taking his place beside her, his parents doing the same. After eating in a strained silence for quite a while, Gerard broke it as he addressed Serena, "Tell me about yourself, Serena."

She looked up from her own food, though she hid it well a trace of confusion still showed on her face, "Excuse me?" she asked solemnly.

"We've met on several occasions over the past four years at several different social functions, we've shared meals dozens of times and spent hours in each other's presence, yet still, I know nothing about you while you know everything about me, I hardly call that fair."

"That's because there's nothing to know." She commented offhandedly.

"I'll hardly believe that, just tell me something about yourself, I promise I wont pry too much." he replied.

"What do you wish to learn about me?" she asked.

"What do you like to do?"

"Read." was her immediate answer.

"No, I know that much from just seeing your study, you've got to like something else, what else do you do beside read?" This was going in an odd direction fast from what Nathaniel could tell, his mistress was indeed a woman of few interests.

"I like to ride." she said in the same simple tone before returning to her food.

"What's your favorite horse to ride?"

"Aslan, my Stallion." she answered.

"See, now we're getting somewhere, you play a lot of instruments right, which is your favorite?" he asked with a smile as he rested his chin in his palm.

"…Violin…" she answered, taking both Gerard and Nathaniel genuinely off guard.

"But you don't play violin?" Gerard asked.

"Because I'm no good at it."

"Then how do you know it's your favorite?" Gerard asked in a humorous tone, his eyebrow raised as a smile decorated his lips.

"Nathaniel plays it for me while I read sometimes, it's pretty."

"Yes, you're rather fond of Nathaniel." Mrs. Kensington interjected.

"Naturally." Serena replied simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Sensing the direction his mother was heading in, Gerard changed the topic, "Of all your classes which is your favorite?"

"Fencing, it's fun." she replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before folding her hands in her lap.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Nathaniel act as your fencing teacher?" Mrs. Kensington asked. Gerard sighed, his mother had always disliked Serena, even more so after meeting her butler, whom she believed Serena was a bit too close to, a bit too attached to, believing there to be some weird relationship between them - which both Gerard and his father thought was the most ridiculous thing.

"Yes, but he's mean, he hardly goes easy on me, but he's not stuffy like the other teachers so I put up with him." she replied, crushing Gerard's Mother's indirect accusation as Nathaniel frowned, a bit insulted even though he knew that it was a perfectly true fact.

"Yes, Nathaniel can be quite strict can't he?" Mr. Kensington chuckled.

"Very." Serena responded curtly.

* * *

**A.N./ Alright, so this was sort of a filler, sort of a regular chapter…I guess… The first few chapters are probably going to be a bit drab or filler-y because I'm trying to give you guys the chance to get a feel for the personalities of Serena and Nathaniel as well as the Kensingtons and the Rosadale staff (Christina, Gene, Clara, and Mikenzie - and yes, I meant to spell Mikenzie that way) before I put things in yolo mode okay. Thanks for the reviews I've gotten so far, and a big thank you to Brendabites who gave me the idea for Mrs Kensington's ever so pleasant personality - note sarcasm - because I really didn't want everybody gushing over Serena, because honestly, at this stage in the story, her personality is pretty sour and standoffish, god knows I probably wouldn't be too fond of her either after having a conversation with her, because even if she doesn't try to, she seems to give the impression that she can't be bothered to deal with other people, like they don't really matter to her at all - which they kinda don't. **

**So yeah, bam, chapter 2, donezo, also, if you go to my profile I've got links to see Serena's outfits at different point's, like her dress in this chapter and her nightgown back in chapter 1 as well as her riding outfit for chapter 3 - which is currently in progress.**


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